BOSTON (AP) — Drivers for ride-hailing companies in Massachusetts are pushing ahead with what they describe as a first-of-its-kind ballot question that could win them union rights if approved.
The push comes despite a landmark settlement last month guaranteeing that Uber and Lyft drivers will earn a minimum pay standard of $32.50 per hour in Massachusetts.
Supporters of the measure last week delivered the final batch of signatures needed to land a spot on the November ballot.
April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, said the tens of thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers working in Massachusetts deserve the collective bargaining benefits of unions.
“This would be the first in the nation to establish a union for drivers in this way,” she said. The group is working on a similar effort in California.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who secured the settlement — which included what she described as “an unprecedented package of minimum wage, benefits and protections” — is also backing the ballot question.
“It’s a strong foundation that can and should be built upon,” Campbell, a Democrat, said of the settlement.
Verrett said labor laws in the country aren't written to take into consideration gig workers, something the ballot question would begin to remedy in Massachusetts if voters support the question — and drivers ultimately form a union.
“We fundamentally believe that workers are workers,” she said. “All workers deserve a union, a way to come together with their coworkers to have a say in their livelihood.”
Yolanda Rodriguez has driven for Lyft for about six years and says she’s convinced that having union rights would benefit her and other drivers.
The 33-year mother of three who lives in Malden, just outside Boston, said she begins most days at about 3 a.m., with many of her trips involving driving people to Logan International Airport.
Rodriguez said about a year ago her account was canceled when she was pregnant. She said she went for five months before it was restored and she could begin earning an income again.
“I don’t want that to happen to other women or men because there are often children behind the cancellations,” she said through a translator. “If I had a union, I would be able to turn to them and work with them.”
Under a policy Lyft announced earlier this year, the company said their goal is to make drivers feel supported and respected when a temporary hold is placed on a driver’s account during an investigation — including a streamlined, in-app button for drivers to appeal deactivation decisions.
But not everyone thinks the question goes far enough — if they support it at all.
Henry De Groot, 28, of Boston, has driven for both companies on and off for five years but says the ballot proposal question isn’t a fair deal.
“I’m 100 percent pro-union and I’m 100 percent opposed to the ballot question,” he said.
De Groot said the question doesn’t create a democratic system where all drivers have rights. He said no rights are included in the initiative beyond basic collective bargaining, including details on how dues are spent.
“You can’t have a regular union and not let workers have a vote,” he said. “There is no driver control over leadership. It’s about the basic democratic rights that other unions have. It’s a top-down organization.”
Kelly Cobb-Lemire, an organizer with Massachusetts Drivers United, which she describes as a grassroots, driver-led campaign, said other app-based workers including delivery drivers are left out of the ballot question.
“We’re fighting to ensure that both drivers and delivery workers have the right to form a union and are classified as workers,” she said. “We support democratic collective bargaining where every driver has a vote.”
She said her group is instead pushing lawmakers to approve a bill that would enshrine full employee rights for all app workers and include a path to unionization for everyone. She said the legislation also would mandate that drivers and delivery workers be paid at least the Massachusetts minimum wage for all working time.
The ballot question, if approved, would define “active drivers” as those who completed more than the median number of rides in the previous six months.
Once a union signs up 5% of active drivers in a bargaining unit, it would get a list of all eligible workers and block any other union from being recognized without an election.
If a union then signs up 25% of the eligible voters in a bargaining unit, it becomes the certified bargaining representative unless another union or a “no-union” group comes forward within the next seven days with signed cards from at least 25% of eligible voters, at which point there would be an election.
Backers of the question had been preparing to go up against a possible series of industry-backed ballot questions that intended to classify drivers as independent contractors.
But that threat evaporated after the settlement, which barred the companies from supporting all five proposed variations of their ballot question — meaning they won't proceed to the ballot.
In a statement after the settlement was announced, Lyft said the deal resolved a lawsuit that recently went to trial and avoided the need for the ballot initiative campaign this November.
Uber also released a statement at the time calling the agreement “an example of what independent, flexible work with dignity should look like in the 21st century.”
Under the agreement, drivers will earn one hour of sick day pay for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year under the deal.
The two companies will also be required to pay a combined $175 million to the state to resolve allegations that the companies violated Massachusetts wage and hour laws, a substantial majority of which will be distributed to current and former drivers.
This story corrects the spelling of the Service Employees International Union president's name. It is April Verrett, not April Verritt.
Travelers enter a pick up location for ride-hailing companies, including Uber and Lyft, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in the lower level of a parking garage at Logan International Airport, in Boston. Drivers for ride-hailing companies in Massachusetts are pushing ahead with what they describe as a first-of-its-kind ballot question that would win union rights if approved. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Yolanda Rodriguez, 33, of Malden, Mass., drives her vehicle, in Malden, before going to work for a ride-hailing company, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. Rodriguez, who has driven for Lyft for about six years, says she's convinced that having union rights would benefit her and other drivers. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Travelers enter a pick up location for ride-hailing companies, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in the lower level of a parking garage at Logan International Airport, in Boston. Drivers for ride-hailing companies in Massachusetts are pushing ahead with what they describe as a first-of-its-kind ballot question that would win union rights if approved. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
CHICAGO (AP) — As a second straight day of hot soupy temperatures approaching triple digits hung over much of the Midwest on Tuesday, residents looked for ways to stay cool and indoors.
Darrell Taylor, 61, has no air-conditioning in his apartment in Chicago, where it reached a record-breaking 98 degrees Fahrenheit. He described it as feeling like an oven. Running two fans did not improve things.
“I put a cold towel on my face. It’s only working a little bit,” he said before retreating to the home of a relative who has air conditioning.
The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings and advisories Tuesday in large swaths of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and into Mid-Atlantic states including Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The weather service warned of “dangerously hot conditions” and predicted heat index values — which take into account the temperature and relative humidity and indicate how hot it feels outdoors — of up to 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit in some locations, including Chicago. The city's high broke the record of 97 degrees set for this day in 1973, according to the weather service.
But relief was expected soon, with cooler temperatures expected starting Wednesday.
“The heat still persists across the middle part of the country but there is some much cooler air working in by the end of the month,” Josh Weiss, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.
Many cities, including Chicago, opened cooling centers. Some schools planned early dismissal because of the heat. An Indiana zoo cut its hours while a Chicago zoo gave animals ice treats. And one Chicago church collected thousands bottles of water to give away.
Numerous schools in Ohio planned for early dismissals on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the expected heat, while some schools canceled classes due to power outages. Chicago schools started the academic year as planned this week, but school officials announced that outdoor athletics were canceled through Tuesday. Some suburban Chicago schools had early dismissal. Also, dozens of Philadelphia city schools without adequate air conditioning planned early dismissal Tuesday and Wednesday.
Members of St. Sabina Catholic Church on Chicago’s South Side, collected over 4,000 bottles of water to give away as temperatures climbed. The National Weather Service said the temperature reached 98, which
“We’re blessing people with water because it is a very hot day," Meryle Davie-Hawthorne said as she passed out bottles kept cold from coolers full of ice. “We just want to help out.”
In other places, residents were warned against using longtime methods to stay cool.
Officials in southwestern Michigan’s Kalamazoo, where temperatures were expected to reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit, asked residents to stop opening fire hydrants.
“There has been a large increase in the unauthorized private use of city of Kalamazoo fire hydrants,” the city said on X, formerly Twitter. “Some private citizens are taking it upon themselves to open fire hydrants. Please note that opening and closing fire hydrants can cause serious injury.”
Much of northern and eastern Missouri was under a heat advisory Tuesday. The high temperature in St. Louis was expected to approach 100 degrees, with a slight risk of storms. The region, accustomed to hot and sultry August weather, was largely taking the heat in stride, with few cancellations reported.
Meanwhile in Minnesota, a line of powerful thunderstorms packing high winds plowed across the state early Tuesday, causing widespread power outages and tree damage. The Minnesota State Fair in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights opened two hours late Tuesday morning so that fair officials could assess the damage and clean up the debris and rides on the Midway were temporarily halted.
Winds gusted as high as 64 mph in St. Paul, the National Weather Service said. Xcel Energy, the largest electrical utility in Minnesota, said over 144,000 of its customers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area were still without power by 9 a.m. Tuesday.
At Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, staff made sure animals had access to shade and gave out ice treats to encourage hydration.
“People think animals are adapted to weather extremes like heat because they come from more tropical areas," said Dave Bernier, the zoo's general curator. "But they’re really Chicagoans just like us and they experience the same weather we do.”
In Indiana, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo said it would close at 3 p.m. Tuesday because of the excessive heat, according to its Facebook page.
The zoo also offered tips to stay cool from its resident expert, Penny the ostrich.
“Flap and fan your wings to keep yourself cool,” the zoo said in a post featuring Penny pictures. “Use your long, flexible neck to better control your head temperature.”
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Associated Press reporters Teresa Crawford in Chicago, Corey Williams in Detroit, Jim Salter in O’Fallon, Missouri, Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey, and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.
Gonzalo Garcia walks on North Avenue Beach selling ice cream on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Chicago. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune via AP)
John Nguyen sprays water to cool off after shooting hoops during a hot weather day in Deerfield, Ill., Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
A pedestrian rides a scooter across DuSable Lake Shore Drive as heat from the pavement distorts a photograph Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, as a second straight day of hot soupy temperatures approaching triple digits hung over much of the Midwest in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
A pedestrian rides a scooter across DuSable Lake Shore Drive as heat from the pavement distorts a photograph Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, as a second straight day of hot soupy temperatures approaching triple digits hung over much of the Midwest in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
A man sits under the shade of a between the Field Museum and She'd Aquarium on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, as a second straight day of hot soupy temperatures approaching triple digits hung over much of the Midwest in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
A boat rides along the riverwalk in the loop, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
People sit along the riverwalk in the loop, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Chicago, as temperatures reached a high in the upper 90's. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
FILE - Volunteers from Saint Sabina Church distributed bottles of cold water to passing motorists at a busy South Side intersection in Chicago, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File)
FILE - Volunteers from Saint Sabina Church climb aboard a bus to distribute bottles of cold water at a busy South Side intersection in Chicago, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File)
A jogger runs along the riverwalk in the loop, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, as temperatures reached a high in the upper 90's. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
A construction worker hydrates at the Shedd Aquarium Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, as a second straight day of hot soupy temperatures approaching triple digits hung over much of the Midwest in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Bob Boyle, center, of Des Moines, Iowa, stands in the water with his grandchildren Abby, left, and Judah Boyle at Gray's Lake Park, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Judah, left, and Abby Boyle, of Des Moines, Iowa, splash in the water at the beach at Gray's Lake Park, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Children run through the Whirlpool Compass Fountain as the sun sets during a heat wave Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in St. Joseph, Mich. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP)
John Nguyen sprays water to cool off after shooting hoops during a hot weather day in Deerfield, Ill., Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
John Nguyen shoots hoops during a hot weather day in Deerfield, Ill., Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Construction workers start their day as the sun rises on the new Republic Airlines headquarters building in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Construction workers start their day as the sun rises on the new Republic Airlines headquarters building in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
